Supporting means for electric conductors and cables



1934- H. M. BOLLINGER SUPPORTING MEANS FOR ELECTRIC CONDUCTORS AND CABLES Filed March 2, 1933 Patented Jan. 16, 1934 "P T OFFICE n r 1,94z,912 ,SUPPORTINIG Means ma ELECTRIC CON- DUo'rORs AND CABLES Howard M. Bollinger; Washington, D. 0.

Application ai-c112, 153:; serial No. 659,408 zcl ims. (ohms-31) This invention relates generally to new and useful improvements in supporting means for particularly to means for supporting telephone and other conductors between widely space poles or towers. I

Heretofore, such conductors have been supported in the air from approximately periodic support points such as poles or towers, and have been subjected to vibrations originating 'principally within the spanwhich resulted in' the crystallization and breaking of theconductors at their points of suspension. This crystallization of the conductors has been caused by the 1 conductors being swayed both vertically and horizontally relative to the single point of support. The principal object of my invention is toprovide a support for such conductors or cables which is comparatively small in lengthrelative to the length of the associated span, and which permits the vibrations developing in one span to pass substantially into the next span and so on until the vibrations have been gradually disgipated, and which permits dissipation of the vibrations more generally throughout the span, insteadof as in the present conventional construction wherein these vibrations occasion severe p recurrent stressing of the molecular structure of i the conductor or cableat and near the support "points and thus cause early fatigue bility of failure. v in Another object of the invention 'lies in the and possiprovision of a supporting structure whichini ,clu'des non-resilient hanger arms between the support point and the conductor and connected to the latter in such a way as to'readilypermit transverse as well as longitudinal motions of the conductor of amplitudes commonly experienced from vibration. i V I v Another object lies in the provision of such a ,support which will largely mitigate a condition known as ring cutting which results fro'ni sin;- I porting rings chafing the cables orother 'co'riductors at the supporting pointsqf i 4 With these and other objects in view which will more fully appearythe nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by following the description, the appended claims, and the several views illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:--

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a conductor supporting means showing one form of my invention,

Figure 2 is a detail view of the clamp to which ing an eye 8 formed at'the lower end thereof. Pivotally supported to the lower end of the stem "7 is a 2-part clamp C consisting of two blocks *passesthrough the eye 8 of the stem '7 arid there- "arm s or' rods 13, 13 have their outer ends connected to thecon'ductor A by means of clamps D, D, these arms 13 extending downwardly from oppothe inner ends of the hanger arms are pivotally connected, electric conductors and cables, although more Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a detail view of the clamp which ,60 connects theconductor to the outer end of a hanger arm,

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1 but show- "ing a modified form of my invention,

Figure 6 is a detail view of the clamp of Figure but showing a modified form of my invention,

Figure 8 is a detail view showing the means for mounting the clamp of Figure 7 on a pole.

Like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout theseveral figures of the drawing. a v

Referring to the drawing and particularly to Figures 1 to 4, I' have provided a conductor or cable A of indeterminate length and have supported thesame in the air from approximately periodic support points such as poles B. Attached'to each pole is a cross arm 5 and supported from said cross arm is a series of link-connected insulators 6 forming a link. The lowermost insulator is provided with a depending stem '7 hav- 9 9 secured together by an upper cross bolt 10 and lower cross bolts 11, 11. The cross bolt 10 9O fore serves to pivotally support the clamp C from the lower end of the stem 7, the'eye 8 fitting within a re'cesslZ which is conjointly formed in the innerfaces of the blocks 9, 9. A pair of hanger siteends of the clamp" C. The inn'e'r'ends of the substantially non-resilient hanger arms 13,-13 fare'provided-with ball heads 14, 14 which are .100

freely mounted in conical sockets l5, -15 formed conjointly in the inner fac'es'of the blocks 9, 9 of of the associated hanger arm 13. It will be seen; 1,10

from the foregoing that the insulators 6 form a link or hanger which depends from the support or cross-arm 5; that the hanger arms which are substantially non-resilient, are pivotally connected at their upper and inner ends by ball joints to the clamp C and that these arms are therefore capable of longitudinal movements as well as lateral and vertical movements; that the outer'and lower ends of the hanger arms are connected to the conductor at spaced points and on opposite sides of the link support, and that these connections between the hanger arms and the conductor are such as will maintain the arms and conductor against relative longitudinal movements yet permitting the lower ends of the arms to have pivotal connections with said conductor, thereby permitting the vibrations developing in one span to pass substantially into the next span and then into the next and so on until said vibrations are gradually dissipated. Thus by means of this supporting structure crystallization of the conductor is substantially eliminated and consequently the life of the conductor will be greatly prolonged.

In the form illustrated in Figures 5 and 6, a 2-part clamp E is attached to the lower end of the stem 7 and the blocks which form the clamp are clamped against opposite sides of the central portion of a single length of stranded steel, the outer end portions constituting hanger arms l3 which extend downwardly and are rigidly secured to the conductor A at spaced points and on opposite sides of the link hanger 6 by clamps F, F. This support is particularly adapted for use with conductors having comparatively small diam- Y eters.

In the form illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 a laterally extending bracket 20 is bolted to the pole B by means of bolts 21, 21, one of said bolts serving to support a 2-part clamp G as noted particularly in Figure 8. A comparatively heavy cable H is supported at periodic points by the clamp G. To this end, a continuous messenger 22 is secured by the clamps G. The portions of this messenger on opposite sides of the clamp G extend downwardly to form resultant substantially non-resilient hanger arms 23, 23 which are connected at their lower ends by a secondary or dummy messenger 24 through the medium of clamps I, I, and the conductor H is suspended from the secondary or dummy messenger 24 by means of hanger loops or rings 25.

As compared to the embodiment first described, the embodiment shown in Figure '7 contemplates the use of the peak portion of adjacent messenger spans as the hanger arms or means, this peak portion being fixedly secured to the immediate support such as block G and forming with the dummy or auxiliary messenger 24 a flattened substantially isosceles triangle whose end major portions extend in each direction considerably beyond the support. The triangular formation is highly sensitive to and mobile under pulsations transmitted thereto so that the pulsations are enabled to pass without substantial retardation.

It is an essential in forms shown in Figures 5 and 7 that a material of inherently low fatigue across the latter rate be used for the supporting arms, as compared to the relatively high inherent fatigue rate of materials commonly used for conductors or cable sheaths.

From the foregoing, it will be observed that I have provided a construction in each of the three forms disclosed which will function in the manner described and thereby avoid crystallization and the resultant breaking of the conductor at the points of support.

In all forms it is favorable to the elimination of crystallization to arrange the arms to form a very acute angle with the conductor or cable.

It is of course to be understood that the details of structure and arrangement of parts may be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. Means for suspending a conductor or a conductor-carrying messenger in spans between spaced supports, said means comprising, in association with each support, flexible hanger means having a portion fixedly secured to the support and extending downwardly in opposite directions from the support along and above the conductor or messenger to support the weight of said conductor or messenger between two spans, the flexibility of the hanger means permitting substantially universal flexing movements of the conductor or messenger and the hanger means ordinarily having its end major portions extending in each direction considerably beyond said support, the portion of the conductor or messenger intercepted between the ends of the hanger means forming with the hanger means a relatively fiat substantially isosceles triangle of which said intercepted portion is the base, the length of said intercepted portion being a relatively small fraction of the distance between the adjacent supports,

between spaced supports, an auxiliary messenger secured across the peak portion between two adjacent messenger spans and forming with said peak portion a relatively fiat substantially isosceles triangle of which said auxiliary portion is the base, the length of said auxiliary messenger being a relatively small fraction of the distance between the adjacent supports, said peak portion constituting hanger means supporting the weight of the adjacent portions of the two spans and ordinarily having its end major portions extending in each direction considerably beyond the associated support, said triangular formation being highly sensitive to and mobile under pulsations transmitted thereto along the spans wherelby the pulsations are enabled to pass without substantial retardation, and a conductor cable carried by said spans up to said peak portion and by said auxiliary messenger.

HOWARD M. BOLLINGER. 

